Considering a Universal Design for Learning Approach With Your Students? A New Playbook from itslearning Provides Tips for School Districts to Facilitate Personalized Learning

New guide from itslearning explains benefits of UDL as a framework for creating learning-driven environments and how districts’ can successfully put theory into practice BOSTON — May 17, 2016 — The new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for K-12 education specifically endorses Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a set of principles that require teachers and students to shift roles as they collaborate around student-driven learning paths. It’s a significant departure from the traditional classroom approach, and transforming a learning environment doesn’t happen overnight.

BOSTON — May 17, 2016 — The new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for K-12 education specifically endorses Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a set of principles that require teachers and students to shift roles as they collaborate around student-driven learning paths. It’s a significant departure from the traditional classroom approach, and transforming a learning environment doesn’t happen overnight.

To help schools navigate the sea of change to more personalized learning, itslearning, developer of the award-winning itslearning learning management system, has published a new guide titled “How To Make Personalized Learning a Reality in Your District.” The 18-page PDF explains the stages and steps to creating a learner-driven environment powered by the UDL approach, how technology can support the integration, and questions to ask when considering which learning platform to choose. It likewise includes examples and tips from school districts that have successfully implemented a comprehensive plan to transition to student-driven learning.

“How To Make Personalized Learning a Reality in Your District” begins by explaining the distinction between “personalized” and “individualized” learning, and the benefits of encouraging students to be co-designers of their own learning paths and curriculum. It discusses the ULD model of “access, engage, express,” and provides educators with a framework for understanding how to create curricula that meet the needs of all learners. Finally, it provides tips to transition UDL from theory to practice, and examples of how learning management systems such as itslearning can be used to provide a streamlined, user-friendly learning environment that simplifies student-centered learning.

“We started our journey with universal design for learning because we felt it provided the best possible way for us to reach our students to improve their performance as well as make sure they were engaged in their learning,” said Mike Jamerson, director of technology at Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation in Columbus, Indiana. “With itslearning, we saw a platform where we could truly implement the three principles of UDL. It helps ensure all teaching objects across our district are aligned, which enables teachers to accurately measure and compare student progress and performance. As a result, they can personalize their teaching by selecting resources that cater to their students’ differing needs.”

Designed for teachers and how they want to teach, itslearning is a cloud-based learning platform used by millions of teachers, students, administration staff and parents around the world. It can be found at all levels of education, from primary schools to universities, helping teachers make education more inspiring and valuable for today’s students. Established in 1999, itslearning is headquartered in Bergen, Norway, and has offices in Boston, Atlanta and multiple locations around the world. For more information, visit http://www.itslearning.net.

Enhancements streamline the curriculum design process so that teachers can create flexible, multi-option lessons with less time and effort Boston, MA – March 16, 2016 — The new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) encourages states to incorporate the universal design for learning (UDL) instructional strategy in school assessments and use of educational technology. Now new updates to the itslearning personalized learning management platform support educators’ efforts to apply UDL principles to curriculum design.

The new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for K-12 education endorses Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a set of principles that require teachers and students to shift roles as they collaborate around student-driven learning paths.

Wayne Township and Bartholomew Districts Lead the Way as Evansville and Greensburg Quickly Follow Suit in Integrating Digital Curriculum Management via LMS Platform Boston, MA – April 18, 2016 —Whether educators are striving for the goal of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) or competency-based learning or even standards-based learning, a key element for success is a high-quality curriculum management system. An increasing number of districts in the state of Indiana have been taking that principle to heart. In 2014, administrators in Wayne Township and Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation (BCSC) opted for the dynamic curriculum management platform of itslearning as a vital element of their teaching and learning processes. Since then, districts in Evansville and Greensburg have also chosen the personalized learning management system (LMS).

itslearning Webinar Alert: UDL and Personalized Learning: The Path to Deeper Learning WHAT: A no cost webinar sponsored by itslearning for K-12 educators and administrators who want to gain a greater understanding of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and personalized learning and how best to incorporate them into their teaching. PRESENTERS: Kathleen McClaskey, CEO and Co-Founder of Personalize Learning, LLC and Mike Jamerson, Director of Technology for Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation (IN) WHEN: Tuesday, January 24, 2 PM EST

BOSTON — May 23, 2016 —itslearning, developer of the award-winning learning management system of the same name, and Gooru, a non-profit organization which provides a free online learning navigator for educators of the same name, today announced a strategic partnership to enhance itslearning’s platform with open educator-curated content and successful practices for personalized learning. The alliance will initially give teachers the most up-to-date avenue to find, remix and share collections and courses of open content designed for future-ready learning. Through a seamless integration, teachers will have instant access to quality multimedia content to guide student-centric learning experiences, supporting the success of every student.

10 middle and high schools are using the system’s digital curriculum management and delivery tools to support and optimize personalized learning Boston, MA – May 24, 2016 — The nation’s fourth largest public school district, Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS), is running a semester-long pilot program utilizing the itslearning learning management system (LMS) to select, deliver and manage the instructional components for secondary level social science courses in 10 schools. Designed specifically for the K-12 sector, itslearning is a cloud-based LMS that enables teachers to engage today’s “digitally wired” students anytime, anywhere and on any device. The MDCPS pilot will run through May, after which teacher feedback and input will be solicited.

Rockdale County Joins Forsyth, DeKalb and other leading Georgia school districts in driving student-centered learning through itslearning’s award-winning platform Boston, MA – April 26, 2016— Seeking an easy and effective way to unify all the different systems that are critical to the functioning of schools, Rockdale County Public Schools has joined a growing number of Georgia school districts in selecting the itslearning learning management system (LMS). As a single end-to-end teaching and learning platform, more than seven million teachers, students, and parents worldwide use itslearning to provide a streamlined, user-friendly learning environment that simplifies student-centered learning.